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Former Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa has expressed his admiration for Lamine Yamal following his rapid rise to the top.
Yamal had an exceptional 2024, winning Euro 2024 with Spain, where he was named Best Young Player of the Tournament.
The La Masia graduate also earned prestigious individual honors, including the Kopa Trophy and the Golden Boy Award.
Villa was quick to praise the young sensation, in a recent interview with ASsaying: “He is an incredible child. How he plays, how he understands football… it’s true that I don’t know him personally, but I’ve been with him a couple of times and he seems very calm and focused.
“This is not the explosion of a footballer that will last a few months.
“He’s been there for a while where, you could say, he could have made a mistake and it’s the complete opposite. He is very good and every time you see him play he plays better.
“He also knows what it means to be a champion.”
David Villa: “I will not compare Lamine Yamal with Messi, I think comparing any player with Messi is annoying, Lamine is already a world star and has achieved important things in the last two years and I am very excited for him and the fans. the right to be excited about him from… pic.twitter.com/iq37BnMdrB
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 6, 2025
When asked about comparisons between Lamine and Lionel Messi, Villa responded that the two are not compatible.
“I think comparing any player to Messi today is annoying. “Lamine Yamal is already a world star,” Villa added.
“He has been achieving important things for two years and, as a culé, I am excited again.
“And of course the fans have the right to be enthusiastic about him, but I don’t think it’s necessary to compare him with Messi because he’s going to have a very good career.”
A tense race for the La Liga title
David Villa also shared his thoughts on the current LaLiga title race, which sees his former clubs Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid battling alongside current champions Real Madrid.
While Villa enjoys watching Atlético and Barcelona in battle, he has warned both not to underestimate Real Madrid.
🎂 Happy birthday, David Villa! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/nAqnwRk2vd
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 3, 2024
He said: “Good, although be careful with Madrid. They are always there. Well, in short, they are the biggest clubs in the country and in recent years they have shown, why not say it, quite a bit of superiority over the rest.
“Taking into account their signings, it was clear that the three of them were going to be in the fight again and the truth is that it is nice.
“That there is competition between more than two teams or with a very outstanding leader is fantastic for the football fan.
“Of course, I am very fond of two of those three teams because of my past with them and the truth is that I am enjoying it a lot.
“I hope the league continues like this until the end. “I would like the League to be decided at the last moment… and it would be between Atlético and Barça.”
